Armed militants in Pakistan’s Balochistan region have attacked a train carrying hundreds of passengers and taken several hostages, military sources.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) fired at the Jaffar Express Train as it travelled from Quetta to Peshawar.
A statement from the separatist group said it had bombed the track before storming the train in remote Sibi district. It claimed the train was under its control.
Pakistani police told local reporters at least three people, including the train driver, had been injured. Security forces have been sent to the scene, as well as helicopters to try to rescue hostages.
There were reports of “intense firing” at the train, a Balochistan government spokesman said.
A senior army official confirmed that there were more than 100 army personnel travelling from Quetta on the train.
The Baloch Liberation Army has warned of “severe consequences” if an attempt is made to rescue those it is holding.
It has waged a decades-long insurgency to gain independence and has launched numerous deadly attacks, often targeting police stations, railway lines and highways.
The Pakistani authorities – as well as several Western countries, including the UK and US – have designated the BLA as a terrorist organisation.
Quetta’s railway controller Muhammad Kashif said that 400-450 passengers had been booked on the train.
Officials have not confirmed how many they think have been taken hostage.
A local railway official in Quetta said that a group of 80 passengers – 11 children, 26 women and 43 men – had disembarked the train and reached the nearest railway station, Panir.
The group had boarded a cargo train to Mach railway station, from where a bus was set to take them back to Quetta.
The official said the group was made up of locals from the province of Balochistan.
Meanwhile, families of passengers were trying to get information from the counter at Quetta railway station.
